Version 1.0 Last Updated 7/10/2021 3.5.3 Streamlined Naval Mechanics In AQ: Jaern, naval combat is built to be realistic: fire can mean certain death for sailors, and as ships are damaged, their performance continuously deteriorates as crew are killed and rigging/hull integrity is damaged. However, this realism comes with a lot of added record keeping that more cinematic and narrative-based combats may not prefer. For this reason, we have proposed these modifications to the existing rules to streamline and make naval combat more cinematic and enjoyable for a fast-paced game. 3.5.3.1 Faster Ship Acceleration Ships must take time accelerating to their full speed. For a sailed ship, this usually takes 10 rounds. For a rowed ship, this takes 4 rounds. To streamline gameplay, you can choose that sailed ships reach their full movement speed in 2 rounds from a dead stop (the first round the ship can only move half their maximum speed, and the second round they can move up to their full movement speed), while rowed ships can achieve their full speed in one round. The turn angle is unaffected. Ships also decelerate at the same rate. This replaces the mechanics in paragraph 3 of section 3.5.1.1 Moving the Ship. 3.5.3.2 Structural Failure Instead of modifying the ADV and the maximum movement speed of your ship every time your ship takes damage, you can choose to only apply this effect when your ship is reduced to below half maximum DP. For example, when a Kurujo is reduced to 149 DP or lower (under half of its maximum 300 DP), the ADV of the ship is reduced by 3 (half of the hull DVs are lost) and the maximum speed is reduced to 25 (half of the 50 maximum speed). The turn angle is unaffected. This is called Structural Failure, as damage to the hull/rigging/crew has gotten to the extent where the ship is significantly weakened. This replaces the mechanics in paragraphs 3 through 6 of section 3.5.2.1 Damage Points. 3.5.3.3 Variant Fire Damage Instead of calculating a larger die size of damage that may be difficult to accomplish with physical dice, you may choose to use standard d6 of fire damage that occurs at the start of a ship’s turn. If the ship sustained fire damage, it takes a d6 of additional fire damage at the start of its next turn if the fire has not been put out. This stacks an additional d6 every time the ship takes more fire damage from any source each round (this fire damage at the start of a ship’s turn will trigger more fire damage dice, but will not stack more than once per round). The maximum number of d6 this can stack is 8 (i.e. a ship hit with fire eight times will take 8d6 additional fire damage at the start of its next turn if the fire is not doused). Firefighting by the crew or via spells can reduce or eliminate the number of d6 in effect. This replaces the mechanics in section 3.5.2.3 Fire Damage. 3.5.3.4 Out-of-Port Repairs While travelling the seas on a ship that has been severely damaged, you can choose to allow its crew to perform repairs to patch the ship back up to sailing condition, until it can return to a port for proper repairs. Each hour of performing repairs on a ship while traveling will repair 5 DP. Checks against the Repair skill can be made to accelerate the DP regained. This can only repair a ship back to half of its maximum DP, returning the ship to its full ADV and movement, until it can reach a port for extensive repairs. This is added to the rules of section 3.4 Maintaining and Operating a Ship. Version 1.0 Last Updated 7/10/2021 3.3.7.1 Broadside Cannons Weapon Cost in gold Days to mount Broadside Cannons 4,700 5 Broadside Cannons are rare and experimental weapons that have only recently been introduced to Jaern, originally invented by the Ley’Orkian Navy on the plane of Cahyali. These weapons, unlike the others, are not mounted on the top deck of a ship, but instead installed on an additional lower deck. This cannon deck is similar to a rowing deck, and is limited to only Metioujo and Maraujo hulls, since only they are large enough to accommodate a cannon deck. This takes up one of the two Rowing Deck spaces. After the deck is built, it is stocked with cannons and ammunition, as well as copious amounts of gunpowder. The cost listed in Broadside Cannons includes the cost of this additional deck, plus the cannons. Only one broadside can be fired at a time, as the crew on the cannon deck can only operate either the port or starboard cannons at once. They are more limited than upper deck mounted weapons, since they cannot be aimed sternward or aftward, and only fire out the side of a ship. 3.5.1.2 Firing Weapons (Broadside Cannons) Weapon Ammo Rate Range Damage Fire Dmg Broadside Cannons Stone Round Shot 4 100 60 - - Broadside Cannons Iron Round Shot 4 80 70 - - Broadside Cannons Chain Shot 4 150 10* - - Broadside Cannons Heated Shot* 6 80 70 20 Stone and Iron Round Shot are the standard ammunition for broadside cannons. These are round spherical pieces of stone or iron that are propelled out of the cannon using gunpowder. With a full broadside, a dozen cannons are fired at once to pummel a target ship. Each individual cannon may not do much damage to a ship, but a barrage can be devastating to hulls. Chain Shot is a special type of ammunition that consists of two small iron shots with an iron chain connecting the two. This is meant to be fired at masts, in an effort to break masts, sails, and rigging to slow or disable a ship. The damage this does is minimal, but when used against a sailed ship, it can reduce the maximum movement by 10 feet. This effect can stack up to half the target’s maximum speed. The rarest and most powerful type of broadside ammunition is Heated Shot, which is an iron round shot, heated with a special furnace, and then fired to set wooden ships ablaze. This requires the special furnace to be built into the ship, which costs an additional 4,300 gold. Version 1.0 Last Updated 7/10/2021 3.3.7.2 Ramming Prows and frequently run into large ice floes. This prow comes with a port and mount so that a weapon Larger ships (Kurujo, Metioujo, and Maraujo) can be mounted into the hull, pointed forward to have enough space so that an additional prow break up ice. Only a Ballista or an Acceler can can be built specifically for ramming into other be mounted to this special mount, and this ships. These prows, like mounted weapons, vary weapon can be fired as the ship charges to ram. in size (tonnage), damage inflicted, and may allow additional effects. Depending on the type A Steel Crusher is a direct upgrade to the Iron of prow, the cost and time to install varies Crusher, but far more expensive and not quite according to the following table. as intimidating as an Icebreaker. While these were more popular in the past, you probably Prow Cost in gold Days to won’t see them anymore. Stingy pirates are mount reluctant to spend the extra money for its comparatively minor improvement over an iron Wooden Reinforced 200 4 variant, and modern navies have moved away Iron Icebreaker 450 5 from ramming and boarding in favor of broadsides and gunpowder. Its main draw is the Iron Crusher 850 5 additional option to place a ballista or acceler Steel Icebreaker 1,700 6 within the ramming prow, similar to the Steel Steel Crusher 1,900 8 Icebreaker design. Steel Dragonsmaw 12,000 12 Steel Dragonsmaw prows are terrors of the high seas. These are built partly for clout and A Wooden Reinforced prow simply prepares a repute, and mainly to strike terror into the hearts ship for ramming, either to break through very of those who find themselves on the business thin ice, or to slightly protect the ship from hitting end of this prow. A special flamethrower is built reefs and shallows. Usually, a reinforced prow into the prow so that a ship can ram and set a comes with a custom figurehead. target ship ablaze at the same time. Very few ships have one of these prows, since finding a An Iron Icebreaker is specifically built for port willing to construct such a weapon is rare, breaking through ice floes while sailing in the and acquiring enough material and flammable oil cold, northern regions of Jaern, and are or gas to power the flamethrower is expensive commonly found through the Rhine Archipelago. and difficult. Assume that the running costs While not its intended purpose, using this prow cover enough flammable gas to use the to ram other ships is considerably effective. flamethrower the number of times needed per month. If a GM decides otherwise, they may set An Iron Crusher is specifically built for ramming an additional cost to purchase this, or they may other ships, and isn’t suited for breaking through say that no flammable gas can be found in the thick ice.